Ground anchor system and method for a sports goal and the like

ABSTRACT

A ground anchor system for anchoring an article, such as a sports goal, bench or the like, to an underlying ground surface. The ground anchor includes an elongate body capable of being embedded within concrete within a hole in the ground and has an anchor and locking plate assembly secured to an upper end thereof. A separate anchor pin is removably securable to the anchor and locking plate assembly. The anchor pin has a knob at one end that is grippable by hand and can be manually placed into a locking position without the use of a separate tool in which the anchor pin is secured to the anchor and locking plate assembly. The anchor pin can also be manually positioned into an unlocking position in which the anchor pin is freely removable from the anchor and locking plate assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a ground anchoring system for anchoringsports goals, benches and the like to an underlying ground surface, andmore particularly, to a system and method for removably anchoring sportgoals and the like manually without the use of separate tools.

Various structures, such as sport goal frames, benches, and the likerequire anchoring to an underlying ground surface for safety and otherreasons. For example, the frames of soccer goals require anchoring tothe underlying ground surface to prevent the goals from accidentallytilting over and causing injury to players or other persons locatednearby. Typically, such systems utilize threaded bolts, nuts, or likefasteners to secure goal frames to anchors sunk within the ground. Suchsystems require the use of wrenches or other tools to connect ordisconnect the goal frames to and from the anchors.

Examples of ground anchors for sport goals are provided by U.S. Pat. No.6,082,697 issued to Grunfield; U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,463 B1 issued toStockwell, III; U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,428 issued to Nauman; U.S. Pat. No.5,820,497 issued to Pena; U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,933 issued to DeJonghe;U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,195 issued to Pavonetti; U.S. Pat. No. 2,020,158issued to Oakes et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,551 issued to Ferrara etal. and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 2003-144595. Inaddition, examples of other anchoring devices are provided by U.S. Pat.No.: 1,089,842 issued to Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,355 issued toHubbard; U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,944 issued to Easley; U.S. Pat. No.4,634,120 issued to Hall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,119 issued to Hlavin; U.S.Pat. No. 5,758,857 issued to Gray; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,296 B1 issuedto Johnson.

Although the above referenced ground anchors, sport goals, and methodsof anchoring disclosed in the above referenced patents may besatisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for a groundanchor system enabling the attachment/removal of various articles to andfrom a ground anchor in a manner requiring a minimum of time, effort,skill and labor. Sport goals, benches and the like should be securableto, and removable from, the ground anchors without the need of wrenchesor other tools. In addition, preferably the ground anchor system shouldbe resistant to damage caused by weathering or like forces which tend tocomplicate the task of applying and/or removing fasteners.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a ground anchor foranchoring an article, such as a sports goal or bench, to an underlyingground surface is provided. The ground anchor includes an elongate bodycapable of being embedded within concrete within a hole in the groundand has an anchor and locking plate assembly secured to an upper endthereof. A separate anchor pin is removably securable to the anchor andlocking plate assembly. The anchor pin has a handle, or knob, at one endthereof that is grippable by hand without the use of a separate tool andcan be manually placed into a locking position in which the anchor pinis secured to the anchor and locking plate assembly and an unlockingposition in which the anchor pin is removable from the anchor andlocking plate assembly.

Preferably, the anchor pin has an elongate shaft on which a springextends between the knob on a proximal end of the shaft and a lockinghead, or key, on a distal end of the shaft. The anchor and locking plateassembly has a keyway that extends transversely therethrough and arecess on the underside thereof that extends only partially through athickness of the anchor and locking plate assembly. The keyway permitspassage of the locking head of the anchor pin therethrough when thelocking head is in proper alignment with the keyway. The recess isangularly offset from the keyway so that, when the anchor pin ispositioned in the locking position, the locking head of the anchor pinis seated and captured within the recess and is maintained within therecess under the force of the spring. This prevents the locking headfrom unintentionally rotating into alignment with the keyway. The anchorpin is manually removed by pressing down on the knob to extend thelocking head out of the recess and turning the anchor pin so that thelocking head is aligned with the keyway for removal therethrough.

According to other aspects of the present invention, a sports goalassembly including a ground anchor and a method of securing a goal frameto a ground anchor and disconnecting the goal frame therefrom areprovided. Both the goal assembly and method utilize an anchor pin thatcan be positioned into locking and unlocking positions without the useof a separate tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention should become apparent from the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is partially cut-away elevation view of an anchoring system andsports goal frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an anchor pin and anchor andlocking plate assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the anchoring system and sports goalframe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The anchoring system of the present invention is useful in securingsport goal frames, park benches, picnic tables, and like structures toan underlying ground surface. For example, a soccer goal 10 is shown inthe drawings. The soccer goal 10 should be anchored to the surface 12 ofthe playing field to prevent the goal from accidentally tilting over andinjuring nearby players or other persons.

A typical soccer goal 10 has a frame 14 including goal posts 16 and acrossbar (not shown) extending therebetween that together define a goalmouth. Soccer goals 10 also include other framing elements to supportthe goal net (not shown) which extends rearward from the goal mouth. Forexample, the frame 14 can include arm assemblies 18 that extend from therear 20 of the goal posts 16. Each of the arm assemblies 18 may includea lower horizontal rail 22 that extends along and substantially parallelto the underlying ground surface 12. The rails 22 may have slots 24through which fasteners can be extended to secure the soccer goal 10 toa ground anchor or the like. Alternatively, brackets (not shown) or thelike which extend about the rails 22 can provide slots for fasteners.

Ground anchors are typically installed within holes 26 which arethereafter filled with concrete 28. Typically, the location of eachground anchor is determined and a hole of about a minimum diameter of 24inches and 20 to 36 inches deep is dug into the ground. With respect toa soccer goal, typically a pair of ground anchors is utilized on eacharm assembly 18 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1. An anchor is placedin each hole 26 so that the upper surface of the anchor is generallyflush with the ground surface 12 surrounding the hole. Thereafter, theholes are filled with concrete 28 embedding the anchors therein. Afterthe concrete cures, a soccer goal 10 can be aligned with the groundanchors and attached thereto.

A ground anchor 30 according to the present application includes anelongate body 32 that is substantially hollow at least adjacent an upperend 34 thereof. The body 32 projects from a base plate 36 located at alower end 38 of the elongate body 32. The base plate 36 permits theground anchor to be self-supported in an upright position in a holeprior to the pouring of concrete in the hole. The upper end 34 of theelongate body 32 has an anchor and locking plate assembly 40 which canbe manufactured as an integral piece, or can be the assembly of twoseparately manufactured plates. Preferably, the elongate body 32, baseplate 36, and anchor and locking plate assembly 40 are made of steel andare welded together prior to use.

As stated above, the anchor and locking plate assembly 40 extendsgenerally flush with the surrounding ground surface 12 or playing field.Preferably, the assembly 40 includes an anchor plate 42 that has anupper surface 44 that is flush with the ground surface 12 and that has acentrally-located keyway 46 extending transversely therethrough. In theillustrated embodiment, the keyway 46 is an elongate slot with roundedends. By way of example, the steel anchor plate 42 can be about 3 inchesby about 3 inches with a thickness of about 0.375 inch and with a keyway46 of about 1.125 inches long by about 0.4 inch wide. Of course, otherdimensions and materials can be used for the anchor plate 42.

A locking plate 48 is located underneath the anchor plate 42. Thelocking plate 48 has a first keyway 50 which is substantially identicalto the keyway 46 of the anchor plate 42 and which can be alignedtherewith to form a continuous keyway through the anchor and lockingplate assembly 40. In addition, the locking plate 48 includes a secondkeyway 52 angularly offset from the first keyway 50. In the illustratedembodiment, the second keyway 52 extends substantially perpendicular tothe first keyway 50 thereby forming a generally “+” shaped aperturethrough the locking plate 48. As discussed in greater detail below, thesecond keyway 52 of the locking plate 48 provides a recess, or pocket,on an underside of the anchor and locking plate assembly 40. By way ofexample, the steel locking plate 48 can be about 3 inches by about 3inches with a thickness of about 0.25 inch, and each keyway, 50 and 52,can be about 1.125 inches long by about 0.4 inch wide. Of course, otherdimensions and materials can be used for the locking plate 48.

The above referenced ground anchor 30 is intended for use with aseparate anchor pin 54 having a shaft 56 with proximal and distal ends,58 and 60. A handle, or knob, 62 is secured on the proximal end 58 ofthe shaft 56 and permits an individual to grip the anchor pin 54 by handand manipulate it between locking and unlocking positions manuallywithout the use of tools. The distal end 60 of the shaft 56 has a key,lug, or locking head 64 that is sized to fit through the keyways, 46 and50, of the anchor and locking plates, 42 and 48. For example, thelocking head 64 can have a generally arrowhead-shape with a length ofabout 0.75 inch, a width of about 0.775 inch, and a thickness of about0.375 inch. Of course, other dimensions and shapes can be utilized.

A spring 66 is fixed about the shaft 56 of the anchor pin 54 for use inresiliently maintaining the anchor pin 54 in a locking position asdiscussed below in greater detail. Preferably, the spring 66 is a coilspring and is located between a washer 68 and the handle 62, or betweena pair of washers. In use, the locking head 64 of the anchor pin 54 isinserted through the keyways, 46 and 50, of the anchor and locking plateassembly 40. The spring 66 must be compressed to permit the locking head66 to be extended completely through the keyways, 46 and 50, andunderneath the underside 70 of the anchor and locking plate assembly 40.In this position, the anchor pin 54 can be rotated about a longitudinalaxis “X” extending through the shaft 56 of the anchor pin 54. Uponrotation, the locking head 64 is no longer aligned with the keyways, 46and 50, and thus is captured beneath the anchor and locking plateassembly 40. However, to ensure that the locking head 64 does notaccidentally become aligned with the keyways, 46 and 50, the lockinghead 64 is aligned with the second keyway, or recess, 52. In thisposition, the spring 66 applies a force to urge the locking head 64within the recess 52 and to maintain the locking head 64 therein. SeeFIGS. 3 and 4. In this position, the locking head 64 is prevented fromrotation and is prevented from inadvertent alignment with the keyways,46 and 50.

When in the locking position, the anchor pin 54 can be manually removedfrom the ground anchor 30 by manually gripping the handle 62 and byapplying a downward force thereon to extend the locking head 64 of theanchor pin 54 entirely below the underside 70 of the anchor and lockingplate assembly 40 and out of the recess 52. Thereafter, the anchor pin54 can be turned such that the locking head 64 is aligned with thekeyways, 46 and 50. The anchor pin 54 can then be removed from theground anchor 30.

A method of assembling a sports goal or the like according to thepresent invention includes aligning the sports goal 10 or the like withground anchors 30 set in the ground surface 12. Preferably, a slot 24extending through a base rail 22 of the sports goal 10 or the like, oran aperture in a bracket secured to the base rail, is aligned with thekeyways, 46 and 50, of the anchor and locking plate assembly 40. Theknob 62 of the anchor pin 54 is grasped by hand to manipulate thelocking head 64 of the anchor pin 54 through the base rail 22, orbracket, and into the keyways, 46 and 50, of the anchor and lockingplate assembly 40. The person applies a downward force on the knob 62 tocompress the spring 66 and locate the locking head 64 underneath theunderside 70 of the anchor and locking plate assembly 40. The personthen turns the knob 62 about a quarter turn to displace the locking head64 of the anchor pin 54 out of alignment with the keyways, 46 and 50,and into alignment with the recess formed by the second keyway 52 of thelocking plate 48. As the anchor pin 54 is released, the spring 66 urgesthe locking head 64 to seat within the recess. This places the anchorpin 54 in the locking position and prevents the locking head 64 fromunintentional rotation into alignment with the keyways, 46 and 50. Thewasher 68, spring 66, and knob 62 extend above the sports goal rail 22and prevent movement of the rail 22 relative to the ground anchor 30.See FIG. 1.

The anchor pin 54 can be manually moved from the locking position to anunlocking position in which the anchor pin 54 can be removed from theground anchor 30 and rail 22 of the sports goal 10 or the like. The knob62 of the anchor pin 54 is grasped by hand and pressed downwardly tocompress the spring 66 and to extend the locking head 64 below theunderside 70 of the anchor and locking plate assembly 40. Thereafter,the anchor pin 54 is turned until the locking head 64 is aligned withthe keyways, 46 and 50. The anchor pin 54 is then removed from theground anchor 30 and from the sports goal rail 22.

While a preferred ground anchor, sports goal assembly, and method havebeen described in detail, various modifications, alterations, andchanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theanchor, assembly, and method according to the present invention asdefined in the appended claims.

1. A ground anchor for anchoring an article, such as a sports goal orbench, to an underlying ground surface, comprising: an elongate bodyhaving upper and lower ends, said body adapted to being embedded withinconcrete within the ground; at least one plate secured to said upper endof said elongate body; and an anchor pin removably securable to said atleast one plate; said anchor pin having a handle at one end thereof thatis grippable by hand, without the use of a separate tool, for manualplacement of said anchor pin in a locking position in which said anchorpin is secured to said at least one plate and an unlocking position inwhich said anchor pin is releasable from said at least one plate.
 2. Aground anchor according to claim 1, wherein said anchor pin comprises anelongate shaft with said handle located on said proximal end of saidshaft and a locking head on said distal end of said shaft.
 3. A groundanchor according to claim 2, wherein said locking head is rotatablewithin said elongate body about a longitudinal axis of said shaft toposition said anchor pin between said locking and unlocking positions.4. A ground anchor according to claim 3, wherein said anchor pin has aspring mounted on said shaft between said distal and proximal ends forresiliently maintaining said anchor pin in is said locking position. 5.A ground anchor according to claim 4, wherein said spring is a coilspring extending about said shaft.
 6. A ground anchor according to claim4, wherein said at least one plate has a keyway extending transverselytherethrough through which said locking head of said anchor pin isextendable.
 7. A ground anchor according to claim 6, wherein said atleast one plate has an underside having a recess that extends onlypartially through a thickness of said at least one plate and that isangularly offset from said keyway.
 8. A ground anchor according to claim7, wherein, when said anchor pin is positioned in said locking position,said locking head of said anchor pin is seated within said recess and ismaintained within said recess under forces of said spring whereby saidlocking head is prevented from rotating into alignment with said keyway.9. A ground anchor according to claim 8, wherein said at least one plateincludes a locking plate secured to an underside of a separate anchorplate, wherein said keyway extends through both said anchor plate andsaid locking plate, and wherein said recess extends only through saidlocking plate.
 10. A ground anchor according to claim 8, wherein said atleast one plate is formed as an integral piece.
 11. A ground anchoraccording to claim 8, wherein said ground anchor includes a base platesecured to said lower end of said elongate body, and wherein saidelongate body is hollow.
 12. A sports goal assembly, comprising: a goalframe defining a goal mouth and supporting a goal net; at least oneground anchor secured in the ground beneath said goal frame; and ananchor pin for removably securing said goal frame to said ground anchor;said anchor pin having a handle at one end thereof that is handgrippable for manually positioning said anchor pin without the use of aseparate tool in a locking position in which said goal frame is securedto said ground anchor and an unlocking position in which said goal frameis disconnected from said ground anchor.
 13. A sports goal assemblyaccording to claim 12, wherein said anchor pin comprises an elongateshaft with said handle located on said proximal end of said shaft and alocking head on said distal end of said shaft, and wherein said anchorpin is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said shaft to positionsaid anchor pin between said locking position and said unlockingposition.
 14. A sports goal assembly according to claim 13, wherein saidanchor pin has a spring mounted on said shaft between said distal andproximal ends for resiliently maintaining said anchor pin in saidlocking position when said anchor pin is positioned in said lockingposition.
 15. A sports goal assembly according to claim 14, wherein saidground anchor includes an anchor plate with a keyway through which saidlocking head of said anchor pin is extendable, and wherein, when saidanchor pin is rotated into said locking position, said locking head ofsaid anchor pin is offset relative to said keyway and is prevented frompassing through said anchor plate.
 16. A sports goal assembly accordingto claim 15, wherein said ground anchor includes a locking plate locatedbeneath said anchor plate, said locking plate having a first keywayaligned with said keyway of said anchor plate through which said lockinghead of said anchor pin is extendable and a second keyway angularlyoffset relative to said keyway of said anchor plate.
 17. A sports goalassembly according to claim 16, wherein, when said anchor pin ispositioned in said locking position, said locking head of said anchorpin is seated within said second keyway of said locking plate, ismaintained within said second keyway via forces exerted by said spring,and is prevented from rotating out of said locking position via saidlocking plate.
 18. A sports goal assembly according to claim 17, whereinsaid ground anchor includes an elongate body having an upper end and alower end, and wherein said anchor plate and locking plate are locatedat said upper end and a base plate is secured to said lower end.
 19. Asports goal assembly according to claim 18, wherein said body of saidground anchor is embedded within concrete within the ground beneath saidgoal frame.
 20. A sports goal assembly according to claim 17, whereinsaid goal frame has at least one horizontal rail section that extendsalong and parallel to the ground and that has at least one slot throughwhich said locking head and shaft of said anchor pin is extendable andin which said shaft of said anchor pin is rotatable about saidlongitudinal axis of said anchor pin.
 21. A method of removablyanchoring a sports goal frame to an underlying ground surface,comprising the steps of: positioning a section of goal frame over aground anchor embedded within the ground; grasping a knob-shaped end ofa proximal end of an anchor pin by hand and inserting a distal end ofthe anchor pin through a slot in the goal frame and through a keyway ina plate of the ground anchor such that a spring extending about a shaftof the anchor pin is compressed between the proximal end of the anchorpin and the goal frame; rotating the anchor pin about the longitudinalaxis of the anchor pin so that the distal end of the anchor pin isaligned with a recess formed on an underside of the plate; and releasingthe anchor pin to permit the spring to expand and cause the distal endof the anchor pin to be seated and captured within the recess.
 22. Amethod according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of graspingthe knob-shaped end of the anchor pin, exerting a downward force thereonto compress the spring, and thereafter, rotating the anchor pin suchthat the distal end is aligned with the keyway for removal of the anchorpin from the ground anchor.